Amorphous Carbon Doping Nano-Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide with Significant Tribological Property

Nanocomposite lubricant additive consisting of Magnesium silicate hydroxide and amorphous carbon (MSH@C) was prepared. Amorphous carbon in the nanocomposite of MSH@C was obtained by hydrothermal decomposition of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) under subcritical water condition. The MSH@C was characterized by Scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, Raman spectrometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer. The analysis results show that addition of PTFE in the process of synthesizing MSH can inhibit the tubular crystallization of MSH@C powder. Tribological experiments show that the doping of amorphous carbon materials can significantly enhance the friction reduction and wear resistance of nanocomposite powders as lubricant additive, and is superior to MSH and fully formulated commercial lubricant 5W30. The tribofilm on the worn balls including amorphous carbon originated from MSH@C nanoparticles accounts for the significant tribological properties.